OceanGate CEO previously admitted he had ‘broken’ rules with Titan sub’s design
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who died on board the Titan submersible last month, admitted two years ago that the vessel's design had 'broken some rules'.
Rush embarked on a trip to visit the remains of the Titanic last month alongside French marine expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet; British billionaire Hamish Harding, and British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, only for none of them to return.
Since then, a lot of details surrounding the safety of the submersible has been discussed, including previous comments made by the former OceanGate CEO.
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Rush previously downplayed a 'really loud bang' on board a previous Titanic sub trip, while he also forgot how to use the PlayStation controller used to control the sub in a recently resurfaced clip.
Now, a 2021 interview has resurfaced where Rush admitted to breaking some 'rules' while designing the Titan submersible.
Speaking with Mexican YouTuber alanxelmundo, Rush started off by saying how he hoped to leave a legacy as an innovator.
He then said: "I think it was General MacArthur who said: 'You're remembered for the rules you break.'"
The CEO acknowledged he'd 'broken some rules' with the making of Titan, though he was confident the design was safe for use.
"I think I've broken them with logic and good engineering behind me. Carbon fibre and titanium? There's a rule you don't do that," he told the YouTuber.
"Well, I did."
Titan's design was actually fairly different to other submersibles, with it being constructed using aerospace-grade carbon fibre, according to OceanGate.
Typically, subs are made with solid metals such as steel or titanium, with Rush saying the choice of material was made in connection with pioneering ocean exploration.
"It's picking the rules that you break that are the ones that will add value to others and add value to society," he told alanxelmundo.
Elsewhere in the conversation with the Mexican YouTuber, Rush discussed his grand plans for the OceanGate, even expressing his excitement that the submersible could offer humanity a future in the deep ocean.
"Because this is where we're going to find strange new lifeforms, and the future of mankind is underwater. It's not on Mars, we're not going to have a base on Mars or the moon," he said.
"If we trash this planet, the best lifeboat for mankind is underwater."
Over the past few years, Rush was warned multiple times about the safety of the submersible.
In 2018, a now-fired OceanGate exec warned that any risk of an implosion would only be detected 'milliseconds' before disaster, while Rush was sent a letter in 2018 from the Marine Technology Society who expressed 'unanimous concern' about the Titan.
Callum Jones